Following the news that FENNEL announced an updated roster for the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour 2024 season, which we covered in our piece, our editorial team got in touch with the head coach of the Japanese team and conducted a text interview. Ivan "Johnta" Shevtsov told Bo3.gg about the state of the team, its future in the next VCT season, and some of the club members.

The first thing that interested our editorial team was an expert opinion on the state of the team and its chances in the upcoming competitive season. In 2023, FENNEL did not make it to the important Valorant Challengers Ascension 2023: Pacific event, which we asked the head coach about.

– How would you assess the team’s chances for the next season? FENNEL had a successful start this season, but they did not qualify for Ascension due to a loss in the second split. Will next year be better?

– The competition is getting bigger and bigger with each season - so it will not be easy. But this time we have time because the team assembled already in September, unlike the previous season when we assembled the team a week before the winter holidays and started the season with minimal preparation. We plan to prepare well for the next season and dominate at the Challengers Japan level and win Ascension. The chances of this are not bad.

Johnta

– How ready is the new roster for the Japanese qualifiers at Red Bull Home Ground? Were there joint training sessions before signing new players or does the team have issues with coordination?

– The preparation was only 7 days with this lineup because there was no opportunity to form the roster earlier for various reasons. One of which is that clubs participating in the partner league started reshuffling after Champions 2023 and are testing players. This made it difficult for us to choose suitable players and did not allow us to form a lineup at least two weeks before the start of the qualifications for the Red Bull tournament.

Johnta

We also asked Ivan his opinion regarding the players. Will Derialy bring his experience to the team, and we found out exclusive information that hiroron is being tested at ZETA DIVISION.

– Was there a specific reason why hiroronn left the active roster? Was this the decision of the club management or the player himself?

– I really wanted to keep Hiroki as a player of our team, but it didn't work out because he was offered a test at ZETA. Considering that he is a graduate of their academy we could not not let him go, and he wanted to leave. He hesitated for a while because other players from our club were also invited to ZETA but declined because they decided to build their future with FENNEL. But he saw it as his chance, and it is understandable, we wish him only the best.

Johnta

– What can you say about Derialy? The Japanese player was previously a member of FENNEL, will the experience he gained in Northeptions be an important addition to the team? After all, he often faced tier-1 clubs while in the latter.

– When I started working at FENNEL, he was playing in a different role and I always noticed his strong individual level, but it seemed like he wasn't very comfortable in that lineup. Later when he moved to Northeption and found himself there, I was very happy for him, because he looked more natural in the latter. There he gained experience and got rid of the problems that arose while he was at FENNEL. When the option to bring him back opened up, I was all for it, because I know his potential and believe that this guy can become a very strong top-level player in Valroant. We are trying to involve him so that he can fully realize himself and help the young players of our lineup with his experience. Because although he is a young player, he has already gained important experience.

Johnta

– Kento "GON" Hara is signed only as a substitute for now. Will he continue to be just a temporary option, or does it all depend on his performance and there is a chance that he will fully transition to FENNEL?

– As far as I understand, these are formalities due to the relations between the clubs. We count on him as a main player of our lineup.

Johnta

Let's remind that today FENNEL started their performance at the Japanese qualifications for Red Bull Home Ground #4 where 17 teams are competing for a single slot in the main tournament. The team, led by Johnta, started with an easy victory over Striders on both maps, 13-3, 13-2. Follow our portal to be the first to learn all the necessary information about the team's future and its results.